This invention relates generally to a clamp assembly for securing a band about a flexible pipe, and more particularly to such an assembly which includes a non-threaded clamp member which is locked in place about the ends of the band.
Clamp assemblies of different types have been devised in the past for the purpose of repairing flexible pipes, especially water hoses and the like. A flexible band normally surrounds a ruptured portion of the pipe, the band having bent-back spaced-apart ends for the reception of lugs which are held together and tightened by means of a bolt and nut arrangement as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,834,086. Or, the legs of staple-shaped retainers in engagement with bent-back ends of a flexible band have been used for maintaining the band in place, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,914,790. Other clamp assemblies include the use of tapered tighteners engageable with bent-back ends of the band for holding it in place.
However, the known clamp assemblies utilized in repair kits for flexible pipes oftentimes prove cumbersome to assemble and unreliable throughout their extended use since they are apt to loosen to such an extent as to diminish their effectiveness.